follow lisa is cooking

I have a little problem. I'm addicted to cookbooks, food writing, recipe collecting, and cooking. I have a lot of recipes waiting for me to try them, and ideas from articles, tv, and restaurants often lead to new dishes. I started losing track of what I've done. So now I'm taking photos and writing about what I've prepared—unless it's terrible in which case I forget it ever happened.

subscribe to

subscribe via email

Monday, February 2, 2009

This soy bean and cheese dip came from the November issue of Food and Wine and was part of an article about starters for Thanksgiving dinner. It’s actually a great recipe to have on file for year-round use because the ingredients are always easy to locate. I used frozen, shelled edamame which were briefly cooked in boiling water. The cooked, drained edamame were pureed in a food processor with sour cream, goat cheese, lemon juice, garlic, and canned chipotles and adobo sauce. Chopped oregano, which luckily enough grows in my herb garden all year but is skippable if you don't have it, was stirred in once the mixture was smooth.

A crunchy topping was made with pepitas which were roasted with salt, ground coriander, crushed red pepper, and olive oil. When the pepitas came out of the oven, they were tossed with lemon zest and oregano. The lemon zest added a burst of flavor, and I have to remember to try that with roasted nuts in the future. While the pepitas roasted, I baked some pita chips which I cut to size, brushed with olive oil, and sprinkled with a mix of cayenne, ground coriander, ground cumin, salt, and pepper.

It makes a thick dip, but sturdy vegetables would have been great for dipping too. The combination of flavors is interesting with the smooth, mild bean puree and creamy, tangy goat cheese and sour cream and the hit of heat and smokiness from the chipotles. And, the pepita topping adds another layer of flavor and texture. The recipe results in a generous amount of dip, so we still have some leftover. I’m thinking of using it for a sandwich for lunch tomorrow by spreading it in a pita and adding arugula, and now, I’m already looking forward to lunch.

15
comments:

I remember that recipe caught my eye when I was leafing through the magazine, too. Your version looks spectacular -- rustic, and creamy. I haven't eaten lunch yet, and I could really dig into a big bowl of that dip right about now.

The combination of goat cheese, edamame, lemon and chipotle flavors is spectacular and I love the crunchy pepitas on top - great recipe! I think my husband would really love this and I will definitely have to make it for him.

If you're ever taking recipe suggestions, I'd love to see one for those yummy-looking pita chips :) I know, but it's the simple things that seem to give me trouble--I end up with either way too hot or way too bland. I hope I haven't just missed it from an earlier post.

The original pita chips recipe is from the Food Network about 10 years ago. I've made it so many times, I make it a little different each time. This time, I cut the pita into rectangles instead of wedges. I tend to add a teaspoon of ground coriander and a quarter teaspoon of cayenne. And, I usually use two teaspoons of ground cumin rather than toasting the seeds. Here is the original:

- toast cumin seeds and finely grind with paprika and salt; stir seasonings into olive oil- split each pita into 2 rounds and cut into 8 wedges each; arrange rough sides up on two baking sheets and brush with oil mixture; bake in a 400 degree oven for 8 minutes or until golden brown and crisp

Looks terrific! I've been playing around with using tofu to make dips, but since tofu is made from soy beans, I like the idea of using it in it's original form. I'll have to play around with this when I get some pre-shelled edamame.

i do love a new, unique dip, and this is one of those! i'm a big fan of anything chipotle, and i've recently decided that pepitas and edamame are two of the finest foods out there. i love this recipe. :)